The Pocket Camera – Kodak’s answer to the faster pace America was embracing when I was young.  Oh, I was so proud of that camera!  It was little, discreet and oh so “techie.”   I was regularly excited about the pictures I took with those cameras!  From the pocket cameras of my youth, to the first  camera my future husband and I purchased together (that was serious stuff!), to the first digital 35mm upgrade, and finally, to the day my first Nikon DSLR made its appearance in my life, capturing life on film or sensor was my constant passion.  As I began my journey into the much more challenging world of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, my passion for photographing the world around me went from a steady flame to a roaring fire! The plethora of lenses and abilities and absolute potential was like drinking 10 cups of coffee in an hour. I was excited for this chapter in my photographic journey!

So many hours of classes later, many hours of practice under my cap, and I am still learning and growing.  Each year I look at the previous year’s images and can see how I’ve become better in some way or another.  It’s never as fast as I’d like or as perfect as I dream, but I am proud of the images I produce.

When I put my camera down, I am a wife, a mom of three girls, a teacher and musician, a vocalist and volunteer.  I have taught in a variety of classrooms, sang in front of hundreds, conducted choirs, acted in plays, and even served as an “elected official!”  The best “job” I’ve had however, is the one where I’ve guided my girls as they grew and became amazing young women.  I have been married over 25 years to an amazingly thoughtful, patient, and kind man. All in all, we are a pretty “typical” family (if that’s possible), with two dogs and  one guinea pig (down from three).

I chose my tagline, “Life Matters” long before any organization was touting that something “mattered.”  As I thought about who I was behind the camera, I realized that what I do when I pick up my camera is making sure that this particular moment, this slice of life, this hour or two, MATTERED. I want to make sure that when LIFE MATTERS now, it is captured and preserved for the future.  I am honored that I am able to be a part of a person’s life… to be a part of some of those intimate moments shared by a family, couple, or children.  Photography is a passion – an everyday focus – a pleasure.  My hope is to bring joy to others with the very thing that has brought such joy to me for so many years.

Thank you for letting me in.

— Victoria